Tag Archives: Curve Hem Top

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Curvy top, curvy body.

Voila. The Curve Hem Top by Vicky Square from the Spring/Summer 2012 issue of Vogue Knitting. This knit was fast (about a week and a half) and half mindless/half thought provoking. You have to pay attention for the short rows, but there are large swaths of no-thought-required stockinette and seed stitch as well.

The yarn is Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in Spryte, exactly what the pattern calls for because of it’s excellent (ahem, cheap) price point and my deep love of all things aqua and sea foam. I was also hoping it might make me look a little tan.

I made the size 36″ bust because I’m determined to get back to that size post-bebe. If you look at the Ravelry pattern page for this, it’s meant to be a little oversized, and it ends up about 40″ or so at the bottom. I can still get it around the belly, but it definitely curves its way up the belly.

All in all, I’m a huge fan and I think I will wear it often. The Cotton Fleece is 80% cotton and 20% wool, so it’s a little easier on the hands and more flattering in terms of elasticity, but the cotton keeps you cool. Here in Arkansas, it still can get VERY hot and humid, so I’ll likely only be wearing this (as long as it fits me) in the overly air-conditioned campus library. I was unsure about the collar, because it seemed unnecessary, but now I like it and I’m glad I did it.

If you’re wondering about the skirt, I don’t think I ever blogged about it, but there are details on my Ravelry page. I love it and wear it a lot in the spring, summer, and fall.

So, this is the curvy me, at about 7 months pregnant. If you say I look like I’m having twins, I’m coming after you with a pointy stick.

Happy knitting!

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Violently violet.

This is a sneak peek at the beginning of my Pinwheel Baby Blanket. I let myself cast on last night as soon as I finished the collar of my Curve Hem Top. I haven’t seamed the top yet, but I’m not cheating on it since it’s still drying on the blocking board. Here is my evidence:

The light is a bit low in that room since I took the picture in the 7 o’clock hour this morning, but it is solid evidence, so there. I blocked it at about 11 last night. I was a bit confused by the diagrams in the pattern, but I bet it’s just me. I did my best and moved on. At first, I realized I was about to block the short rows in the front into a straight line, destroying the curve. Luckily, in my half-sleep state I realized something was up and fixed it. The pattern recommends blocking under some wet towels that you allow to try on top. I’ve never actually used that method. Most of the time I just get the whole thing wet with some baby shampoo and block to size. Sometimes I steam the object. My steamer is on the fritz, so I pinned the top to size and just sprayed it down with some water. It seemed like a good compromise, and it was mostly dry this morning, so I should be able to seam it tonight!

I love the color of this Pinwheel. It’s really not that accurate in these shots. I fiddled with the colors in Lightroom this morning, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on which adjustment to make to make it perfect. I like the color better in person. This is accurate enough for now. I’ll have to play with different lighting times and/or locations to try to represent it better with the finished product. I’ve got another “mindless” knit happening with this blanket, and I get to make a second thing for the future Princess Mozzarella. I promise I won’t neglect my Honeybee Cardigan much longer. I need to finish it to make sure it’s safe to exchange an untouched skein of Ella Rae Lace Merino for another of this Knitosophy Princess yarn and pretend that I’m not just adding stuff to my stash…

Happy knitting!

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Fit for a princess.

We’ve been calling the unborn little lady by the nickname “Princess Mozzarella.” I really don’t know how this got started. It was a joke and just stuck. I don’t think we’re going to be revealing the real name prior to her birth, even when we figure it out, so don’t get your hopes up, interested parties!

I’m not really a girly girl (though there’s nothing wrong with being one). I think I shocked some of the ladies at knit night when they saw me in a fuchsia dress. It was that or a black dress in that style…I like color, ok? I hope that calling our unborn bean “Princess Mozzarella” doesn’t make people think that we want a spoiled little pretentious ruffle-wearing future queen. It just sounds ridiculous, and since many things that happen during pregnancy/parenting seem ridiculous…why not? Anyway, check out this yarn:

I’m thinking it’s going to make a perfect Pinwheel Baby Blanket. I made one of these before for some great friends that were expecting at the time. Sadly, I forgot to take a finished shot, but it was lovely.

I haven’t abandoned my Curve Hem Top. I am determined to finish that before I let myself cast on a blanket. I’m at the front after the divide for the v-neck, closing in on the last few inches. After that, I just have the collar and sewing it up! I’m hoping to finish by Tuesday or Wednesday, making the whole project a week and a half venture. My Honeybee Cardigan is still languishing in her project bag, not because it’s not a fun knit, but because the thinking-and-making-me-look-at-it part was taking away from my reading Feast for Crows. I can’t wait to start this Pinwheel though, so I’d better get finish with that top!

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Creating curves.

I’m creating curves all over the place, both in my knitting work and my baby growing work. This knitted work in progress is the Curve Hem Top by Vicki Square, in the most recent Spring/Summer issue of Vogue Knitting. The knit is simple to execute and proved mindless enough to let me absorb myself in reading at the same time. There are a few corrections to the pattern, so if you make this top, be sure to check first.

I started the back last Friday morning and finished it yesterday morning. I got a piddly start on the front yesterday. Even though it is very simple, the minimal counting involved in the short rows threw me a bit at knit night at Hand Held last night. I’m hoping to fly through the front and be able to wear this before my belly has curved to a point that won’t allow it.

Speaking of curves…as I have mentioned before, it’s tiresome how many people freely comment on my changing body with no filter. At 6 months along (or any point), I do not want to be told I look so big that I should be having twins, even if that’s what you think. This is my first pregnancy. I’m already freaking out about putting on pounds and pounds. I’m eating healthfully 90 percent of the time and I’m walking nearly every day. I’m growing a freaking human, m’kay? I just wanted to put that out there, because even though the people that say these things most likely do not have ill intentions, I’m not always brave enough to point out their rudeness in person. But believe me, a couple more comments, and I’ll be there. This is nothing new for pregnant women, I’m sure. It’s just annoying.

Have I mentioned that I love my Signature Needles? I bought some of these for myself for Christmas. I bought all circular needles with the stiletto points in a 40″ size, since I do a lot of magic loop for circular projects. I adore the tip. It makes lace knitting, like that on my WIP Honeybee Cardigan a snap. Sometimes I wish the cord had just a little less flexibility, but I’d definitely choose this amount to the stiffness of Addis for magic loop. The only issue I’ve had is that the cords on some of my needles have stopped rotating in the needle socket. This is a feature that the company and many customers laud. I sent back a couple of needles to replace when the needle would not rotate on the cord. They happily replaced them and said sometimes you have to work with them to get this to relax. I’ve noticed on a couple of other needles that they used to rotate, but they have since gotten stuck. I guess if this bothers me I’ll send them in again, or maybe they will relax. Overall, these needles are sensational. The points and the light aluminum and more flexible cord seem to help with hand fatigue quite a bit. I definitely noticed that I was able to knit for a longer time on the Liesl (with stiff linen) this time around. Last time I used Addis.

I plan to knit up as much of the front as I can this weekend, while also attending some friendly festivities to celebrate a great friend’s 30th birthday. Welcome to my decade, Kathleen. Happy weekend, everyone else!